Imlach, "Punch" (George)
Hockey
b. March 15, 1918, Toronto, ONT
d. Dec. 1, 1987
The abrasive, hard-driving Imlach was player personnel director with the Boston Bruins in 1958 when Conn Smythe of the Toronto Maple Leafs offered him a job. Imlach said he wanted to be general manager. Since no one in the Toronto organization held that title, Smythe agreed.
Early in the season, Imlach fired Coach Billy Reay and took over the job himself. During the next ten years, Toronto won the Stanley Cup four times. Imlach constantly strengthened his team by acquiring veteran players, often at the expense of giving up promising youngsters, and he worked his players hard, criticizing them profanely and abusively for bad plays.
By 1968-69, many of his players were tired of his methods, most notably Frank Mahovlich, the high-scoring left wing. Imlach sent Mahovlich and two others to the Detroit Red Wings for four players. The move was widely criticized by press and fans and, after the Maple Leafs were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Imlach was fired.
He became general manager and coach of the expansion Buffalo Sabres in 1970 but suffered a severe heart attack in 1971 and gave up coaching for three months, then resigned after the 1971-72 season. Imlach returned to coaching Toronto for part of the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons.
His overall record was 423 wins, 373 losses, and 163 ties. In Stanley Cup play, his teams won 44 games and lost 48.